Month: September 2012

I have posted this query on a googlegroup foundation-for-indian-scientific-h

Dr. Sastry has raised a fundamental question of great importance which can help us glean the central theme of the Rigveda.

Let us assume that the Rgveda Samhitaa which Sayanacharya commented upon in his Bhashya is a unified document with a chandas form and a very specific function, a central message.

Read with Anukramani, scholars have tried to find a chronological sequence which makes the samhitaa look like a jumbled, incoherent affair leading some to say that the Samhitaa is a layered text which took centuries to reach the Samhitaa structure.

Bloomfield’s work is a starting point to analyse the structure and function of the Rgveda Samhitaa. What are the categories of repetitions? Sukta repetitions? Rca repetitions? Or, just refrains of repeated phrases within a sukta?

Are repetitions resorted to for and attributed to the same devataa by the same rishi? How to explain the not-so-identifiable rishi names?

It is possible that the repetitions taken from Rgveda in Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda samhitas may also provide a lead to further the analysis of the structure and function of Rgveda Samhitaa.

Methinks, Dr. Sastry’s profound question has to be answered based on the tradition of yajna which is clearly the central, specific function of the Rgveda Samhitaa, the yajna of Prajapati where the first yajna yielded many first dharma-s.

Figure 3. Front and rear side of the “iron man.” The sculpture was chiseled from the iron meteorite, forged at the edges and the basis, and shows the Buddhist god Kubera (Vaiśravana); the scale armor was formerly gilded.

Buddha from space—An ancient object of art made of a Chinga iron meteorite fragment

Abstract– The fall of meteorites has been interpreted as divine messages by multitudinous cultures since prehistoric times, and meteorites are still adored as heavenly bodies. Stony meteorites were used to carve birds and other works of art; jewelry and knifes were produced of meteoritic iron for instance by the Inuit society. We here present an approximately 10.6 kg Buddhist sculpture (the “iron man”) made of an iron meteorite, which represents a particularity in religious art and meteorite science. The specific contents of the crucial main (Fe, Ni, Co) and trace (Cr, Ga, Ge) elements indicate an ataxitic iron meteorite with high Ni contents (approximately 16 wt%) and Co (approximately 0.6 wt%) that was used to produce the artifact. In addition, the platinum group elements (PGEs), as well as the internal PGE ratios, exhibit a meteoritic signature. The geochemical data of the meteorite generally match the element values known from fragments of the Chinga ataxite (ungrouped iron) meteorite strewn field discovered in 1913. The provenance of the meteorite as well as of the piece of art strongly points to the border region of eastern Siberia and Mongolia, accordingly. The sculpture possibly portrays the Buddhist god Vaiśravana and might originate in the Bon culture of the eleventh century. However, the ethnological and art historical details of the “iron man” sculpture, as well as the timing of the sculpturing, currently remain speculative.

Justice Govinda Rajulu directed them to produce two sureties for Rs.1 lakh each and deposit their passports in the ACB Court. The judge took into consideration the fact that the investigation was over and the final charge-sheet was filed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Janardhan Reddy was produced in a Special Court for ACB Cases here on a prisoner’s transit (PT) warrant. Mr. Reddy was then shifted back to Chanchalguda as he was to be produced in the CBI Court through videoconferencing in an illegal mining case.

25.9.12

Kudos to Pioneer News Service for the well-documented expose of seafront landgrab by PC family.

Tamil Nadu Government led by Smt. Jayalalithaa deserves credit for responding to poor peoples’ livelihood concerns, rendering prompt, decisive justice to the fisherfolk of Tsunami Nagar.

The demolition of the illegal boundary walls and 3 km long wall on the beach will restore the rights of the fishermen families in Tsunami Nagar of free and unfettered access to their boats and to their seafaring, their livelihood dependent upon fishing activities and aquaculture.

What a travesty of justice that those who suffered the tsunami had to face the tsunami of land-grabbers. As a fisherwoman of Tsunami Nagar commented; the tsunami affected their lives for a day; the land-grab tsunami affected their livelihood forever.

Again, congratulations on a signal national service.

If there is any sense of morality left in the polity, PC should tender his resignation from all offices of profit he holds and his cabinet position, forthwith.

Even as Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram was addressing the members of the Congress Working Committee in New Delhi on Tuesday morning, a team of officials led by Tahasildar Ilango of Kancheepuram Collectorate was demolishing a part of the compound wall built by his family members at Karikattukuppam, a picturesque village along the East Coast Road near Chennai.

The wall was allegedly built by P Chidambaram’s family members, including wife Nalini Chidambaram, and only son Karthi.

While Chidambaram was articulately justifying the recent economic reforms launched by the Government at the CWC meet, the Tamil Nadu officials ensured that a portion of the strong wall at Karikattukuppam was razed to the ground.

Fishermen in Karikattukuppam had complained to the State administration that the Chidambarams had grabbed two pieces of land — one poromboke and one Government — in the village as part of their bid to build a high-end super luxury hotel and resort.

Last week, a team of revenue officials from Kancheepuram collectorate landed at Karikattukuppam and launched an investigation into the whole affair. “The assistant director of surveys is studying the complaints filed by the fishermen and the land documents at the registration office. We will soon initiate action if we find that there are any discrepancies,” a senior revenue official had told The Pioneer last week.

The compound wall built by the Chidambarams had put the poor fishermen in trouble. They were denied direct access to the sea and were forced to make a detour via a three km long stretch.

Tuesday saw the officials led by Tahasildar Ilango demolishing a part of the long compound wall built by the Chidambarams on the encroached land.

“A portion of the wall, measuring 100 X 10 sqm was demolished by the officials. They told us to wait for some more time as they were studying the complaints filed by us to the Government,” said Jaya Palayan, president, Tamil Nadu Fishermen Welfare Federation, who along with the fishermen of Karikattukuppam, has been staging a relentless fight against the mighty Chidambarams.

“The demolition has proved that our complain was right. We and The Pioneer stand vindicated. It was The Pioneer which stood by us and reported the whole issue to the outside world whereas the local media chose to ignore our pleas,” said Palayan and Murugan, the leader of the local fishing community.

They said the officials have given them an assurance that all the lands grabbed by the Chidambarams would be returned to the rightful owners once the probe is completed. The officials, especially the RDO in charge of the investigation, declined to divulge any detail.

The fishermen allege that the Chidambarams had usurped nearly nine acres of land and built a compound wall. Arun Natarajan, their counsel, had said there was no truth in the allegations by the fishermen as his clients were the rightful and legal owners of the land.

An intelligence official said, on condition of anonymity, that the complaint by the fishermen has been found to be genuine. “I do not know what will happen to the Chidambarams. But it is true that they are involved in land grabbing,” he said.